Army Dental Equipment

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31856, 7 December 1968, Page 25

Army Dental Equipment

The standard of field dentistry equipment ! used by the New Zea- ! land Army was as high as that used by ! any service in the ! Commonwealth, said Captain P. M. Glen, staff officer and quartermaster of the Dental Corps, in an interview in Christchurch. Captain Glen said that the New Zealand Army was the only army apart from that of the United States to be so well equipped. This year the New Zealand Army Dental Corps purchased from America 15 field dental operating units which cost about $2OOO each. He said that the unit was complete in itself and consisted of high-speed and lowspeed drills, an oral suction evacuator, a spitoon and air spray, all incorporated in a box about twice the size of an apple case. In addition, the corps had an electro-torque motor, a j side product from space re- ■ search, which drove a drill | at speeds up to 20,000 revolutions a minute from either AC or DC currents, or a 20volt battery. These torque motor drills were a new development and were used by the American army in Vietnam, said Captain Glen.

With this new equipment a dentist was able to go into remote areas and give full dental treatment comparable with that given at a military base, he said. Captain Glen has been visiting dental sections at Burnham military camp and at Wigram.

At Burnham a new combat filling preparation is being given a trial. This also is being tried out by the American army. It is an ordinary tooth filling material strengthened to make it last longer. This material is in three colours—red if there remains some decay under the temporary filling, blue if there is no

decay beneath, and white for front teeth. Once a soldier has been treated in the field these colours are a quick indication to the dentist at base or at home as to the course of treatment required. This method of filling was developed in America where so many men were being sent overseas quickly. In New Zealand the dental corps likes to send servicemen overseas dentally fit. Because of this it is unlikely that the Dental Corps will have any real requirement for the material. The Burnham dental section has only two bottles for its trial.